Welding wire for automatic or semi-automatic welding processes is often provided in the form of a coil consisting of several kilometers of welding wire. For transportation and storage of the welding wire coil, the welding wire container is used which has two primary functions. First, the container serves as a means for transporting the welding wire coil and for protecting it. In particular, the container is to be sufficiently rigid so as to prevent a deformation of the welding wire coil or an entanglement of the individual turns of the welding wire. Second, the welding wire container serves as a take-out device allowing continuous withdrawal of the welding wire from the coil.
Welding wire containers are known which have a base element (for example a wooden pallet) to which a plurality of walls are attached. The walls can be made from cardboard and circumscribe a space in which the coil of welding wire can be placed. In an embodiment where the welding wire container has a square cross section, four cardboard walls are used.
In the corners of the reception space for the welding wire coil, reinforcement posts are arranged. They serve as a radial support or abutment for the welding wire coil.
Usually, a plastic foil is arranged inside the welding wire container so as to protect the welding wire coil against humidity.
For transportation, the welding wire container is often provided with a plastic wrapping on its outside. The plastic wrapping increases the stability of the container. It is, however, essential that the plastic wrapping be removed when the welding wire container has been placed at the spot where the welding wire is withdrawn from the container as the plastic wrapping exerts an inwardly directed pressure. This pressure usually does not create any issues as long as only a small fraction of the welding wire has been withdrawn from the container because the considerable weight of the welding wire coil prevents the reinforcement posts from being displaced inwardly. If however a significant portion of the welding wire has been withdrawn, the pressure of the plastic wrapping is able to displace the reinforcement posts inwardly which might result in a retainer plate floating on top of the welding wire coil being pinched between the reinforcement posts.
Another issue sometimes encountered during operation results from improper handling of the plastic foil arranged inside the welding wire container for protecting the welding wire. Despite instructions to place the upper portion of the plastic foil along the outer surface of the container walls, it can sometimes be seen that the upper portion is cut off. This may result in some portions of the plastic foil falling into the container so as to interfere with the welding wire and/or the retainer.
The object of the invention is to improve the welding wire container so as to ensure that the welding wire can be properly withdrawn from the container even if the operating instructions are not being properly observed.